27 March 1988 - Kundé Claims The Cup For Cameroon

On 27 March 1988, Cameroon won their second African Cup of Nations, beating Nigeria with a second-half penalty from defender Emmanuel Kundé. It was Cameroon's third trip to the final and the second one in which they faced Nigeria (they beat the Super Eagles 3-1 in 1984 to claim their first title).

The two teams were paired in the same group for the 1988 tournament and had played to a 1-1 draw. Nigeria went on to top the group, with Cameroon in second. Cameroon advanced to the final with a 1-0 win over Morocco, while Nigeria claimed their spot by beating Algeria on penalties, 1-1 (9-8).

Throughout the tournament, goals were scarce. With a total of sixteen matches, teams scored more than one goal only twice. The final, played before a crowd of 60,000 at the Stade Mohamed V in Casablanca, continued that trend, as the teams played to a hard-fought scoreless draw at the break. Ultimately, they were separated only by a 55th-minute penalty kick, duly converted by Kundé to seal the win for Cameroon.

Since then, the Indomitable Lions have won the cup twice more (2000, 2002) to take their overall total to four. Nigeria, meanwhile, has two cups of their own, won in 1980 and 1994.

1 July 1990 - Gary Lineker, Goalscorer And Prophet

On 1 July 1990, England needed an extra-time penalty kick to beat Cameroon in the World Cup quarterfinals, 3-2. It was a painful end to the tournament for Cameroon, who had been seven minutes away from becoming the first African side to reach the World Cup semi-finals.

It was the second consecutive extra-time match for both sides, with Cameroon getting past Colombia 2-1 thanks to two Roger Milla goals while England squeaked by Belgium 1-0 with a 119th-minute goal from David Platt, making his first World Cup appearance. Both goalscorers featured in the quarterfinal matchup.

It was an energetic, attacking match, full of scoring chances for both sides, but Platt, making his first start in the tournament, sent England ahead with a 25th-minute header. Trailing 0-1 at the break, Cameroon introduced Milla at the start of the second half and he instantly built momentum for his side, leading to two goals in quick succession by Emmanuel Kundé (61', pen.) and Eugène Ekéké (65') to put Cameroon up 1-2. But in the 83rd minute, England striker Gary Lineker was tripped in the box and converted the ensuing penalty kick to level the match at 2-2.

Both sides continued to attack in extra time, but the match was decided by yet another penalty, as Cameroon keeper Thomas Nkono tripped a charging Lineker to concede the spot kick. Lineker converted it to send England through to the semifinals where they lost to West Germany on penalties, prompting Lineker's famous quote: "Football is a simple game; 22 men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end, the Germans always win."